If you had the choice...?

Question

Ok, Im a chemical engineering major that will be transferring from a C.C. to either one of these two universities. I have always wanted to attend UCLA but its too heavily populated. I also always wanted to see other parts of the U.S. and USF would allow me to do that.

If you were in my situation, which one would you choose and why?

Ok, I found out that USF has a 5 year program for chemical engineering undergrads, this means that after senior year, I take graduate level courses for a year which the advantage is that the courses are double counted and after Im done with that, I have a Masters, UCLA has no program like that.

Obvious USF has the better program, but UCLA is an excellent school also.

If in my situation, would you go to USF?

Answer 1

Not only is it not obvious that USF has a better program -- it is false that they do.

UCLA has a much better engineering school than USF. USF is a small private (Catholic) school with a decent regional reputation. UCLA is one of the best public universities in the US with a world-wide reputation. Only Berkeley, Cal Tech and Stanford have better engineering programs in California.

It is not only a much better school than USF, it is much cheaper for California residents.

Another factor to consider is that as a private school, USF may be harder to get into as a transfer student and is less likely to accept all of your CC credits.

I also don't get your "heavily populated" comment. San Francisco has a smaller population than LA -- but is still very densely populated. Of course, you could have been talking about the size of the school.

I got my PhD in the Bay Area (Berkeley). While it is a beautiful place, it is also very expensive.

Answer 2

Have you been accepted by both? Both have rigorous admission requirements for transfer students, but UCLA may be easier to get into just because you are a state resident. Having a master's degree in five years does not necessarily mean the program is better or more respected. Have you visited both campuses during the school year? USF has quite a reputation as a hard-drinking party school. Is that what you really want, or are you a serious student?

Answer 3

Based on what you've said, I think the odds are stacked against UCLA: UCLA heavily populated, USF 5-year Bachelors with Masters program, SF a beautiful place to live in, diversity of the population and beautiful SF weather, etc. I personally would pick USF.

Answer 4

It appears to me that you've already made your choice, but want approval. USF sounds like the better choice since you've already indicated that it has a better option for your career study. That five-year program sounds terrific for what you want to do. That's not knocking UCLA, and of course you can always switch, but I think if it were me, I would chose USF.

Answer 5

This sounds like a reasonable option. I'm not sure I would say that USF has the better program, but it is a reasonably good school and you should do fine there.